Valve mechanism for internal-combustion engines



Sept. 13,1927. 6

R. C. KNOWLES VALVE, MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Nov. 19, 1923 FLyJ Patented Sept. 13,1927.

" "UNITED STATES ROSCOE CARTER KNOWLES,- OF 'Q 'UINTON,

I ALABAMA, ,ASSIGNOR QUINTON, ALABAMA.

TO V. B. FITTS, OF

VALVE MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL-coiviBUsTIo ENGINES.

Applicati on filed November 19, 1923. Serial No. 675,517.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary valves for hydrocarbon engines The principal object of my invention-is to design a rotary conical valve which will be noiseless, operatesmoothly and tend to seat itself at alltimes, bearing only against the taper valve seat with a constant pressure and adapted to control both the intake and exhaust fuctions of the motor. It is also designed with novel ineansto automatically feed oil up its stem to the-valve seat so as to maintain at all times a film of oil 1 between the valve and its respective seat. It is also especially designed to be self cleaning in that both the valve and its stem presents a sharp cutting edge which Wipes constantly over the whole valve seat and stem bearing and thus prevents any accumulation of carbon or other matter there.

The advantages of a valve of this charac-v ter are manifold in that it eliminates noise, caused by the contacting of a cam shaft and tappets, and undue vibration, caused by the intermittent work imposed on the cam shaft, which work also causes noise and unnecessary wear onthe gears driving the cam shaft. It reduces to a minimum the number of parts in the valve organization of a motor and gives a quieter, more eiiicient and less expensive engine. c

In order that my invention maybe more clearly understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an internal combustion engine showing the valve and piston in elevation.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the valve with the bearing, spring and gear removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the valve seat. I

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the typical embodiment of my invention illustrated, I have shown a motor base 1 with acylinder block 2. Bolted to the top of the cylinder block is a removable top block 3 having therein a spark plug 4. To one side ofeach cylinder is cast a guide 5 to contain the valve stem, said guide having formed at its top an inverted cone which forms the valve seat 6. The rotary valve consists of a stem 7 which at one end merges free of shoulder or offset into a flared or conical portion 8. This flare is accurately faced and ground to fit the size and taper of the seat 6. Extending from near the stem through theba'se of the cone valve and inwardly to a point past the axis is a single port formed by a slot 9, said slot lying in an axial planethrough the valve and stem.

This slot is formed for the passage of gases to and from the cylinder. At the other end of the stem 7 is a threaded portion 10 and a key way 11 to which is attached a spiral toothed ring 'gear 12 which is permitted to ride ,up and down the stem but held by the nut 13 against the action of the spring. 14. A helical oil groove. 15 is cut around the stem 7 and runs almost to the outermost edge of the base of the ,cone valve 8 but stopping short thereof sufficiently, to retain the, compression within the cylinder. In the valve seat have been formed an intake port 16 and an exhaust port 17, through which. respectively the cylinder 18 is sup-- plied with fuel and the burned gases are exhausted, both the intake and exhaust functionsof each cylinder being controlled by its single respective valve 8. The worm gear 12 is driven by a 'worm wheel 20' on a countershaft 21 inthe crank caser22, which shaft 21 is suitably driven as by gears25 and 26 from the motor crank shaft 27 I The cylinder has therein the usual piston 28 and piston rod29'. Fuel is supplied to the intake. port by themanifold 30 and the port 17 exhausts" into the manifold 31. It will be noted that the exhaust port slightly overlaps the power quarter of the valve seat so that the exhaust will begin just in advance of the completion of the downstroke of the piston during the working quarter of its cycle. In order that the spring 14 may all times draw the valve 8 downwardly against its seat 6 and at the same time freely rotate with the valve stem, I have provided a thrust bearing 32 of any standard design.

In operation, we will start with the piston at its highest point in the cylinder 18 and assume that the port 9 is coincident with the line OA down creating a suction in the cylinder, at the same time the slot 9 uncovers the intake port 16, permitting carburetted gases to enter the cylinder. When the slot 9 coincides with line O-B the port 16 is closed and the piston has reached the bottom of its stroke. Between O-B and O-C the piston is traveling up, compressing the gas in the cylinder until at the height of its stroke at OC the spark plug 4 ignites the gases The piston now starts if} driving the piston down. However just be fore the completion of the power stroke the port 17 is uncovered at OD, permitting the excess pressure to be relieved then as the piston starts up from OE the remaining gases are expelled through the port 17 until at OA both ports are momentarily closed, thus completing a single firing cycle of one cylinder. 7

Though I have described with great particularity the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. A rotary valve for internal combustion engines, comprising a valve seat having intake and exhaust ports, a rotary valve mounted in said seat and adapted to control said ports, a stem depending from said valve into the crank case, a helical oil groove surrounding the stem and extending from its lower end continuously across the face of the valve to a point near its outer margin, a continuous bearing for the stem extending from near its lower end to the valve seat, means to rotate the valve stem from the crank shaft, said means being disposed within the crank case and comprising a worm gear splined on the stem, a thrust bearing, a spring interposed between said bearing and worm gear, and a nut holding the gear on the stem.

stem from a source of oil supply and about the face of the valve to a point near its top,

an axially disposed slot forming an intake and exhaustport opening through the side and topof the valve and disposed not to intersect said oil groove therein, and means at the lower end of the valve stem within the crank case to connect a drive element thereto, said oil groove extending into that portion of the valve stem which projects into the crank case, as and for the purposes described.

8. An internal combustion engine having a common intake and exhaust passage, a taper valve seathaving intake and exhaust ports opening therethrough, a valve controlling communication between said ports and passage which is tapered to fit said seat and provided with a single port leading from an intermediate point in its side face through the upper edge of the latter and opening into said passage, and an oil groove formed in the face of the valve, said groove and valve port together being adapted to wipe over and clean the entire valve seat and said groove being connected with a source of oil supply, substantially as described.

4;. A rotary valve for internal combustion engines, comprising a valve seat having intake and exhaust ports, a rotary valve mounted in said seat and adapted to open through the outer margin of the valve and to control said ports, astem depending from said valve into the crank case, a helical oil groove surrounding the stem and extending from its lower end continuously across the face of the valve to a point near its outer margin, a continuous bearing for the stem extending from near its lower end to the valve seat, and means to rotate the valve stem from the crank shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROSCOE CARTER KNOWLES. 

